How to write a one-line description people actually read
George · 4 min read
On any launch board, a visitor sees three things about your product: a logo, a name, and one line. The name rarely explains anything. So that one line decides whether they click.
It is the most-read sentence you will write about your product, and most of us spend about thirty seconds on it.
The job of the line
The line has one job: let a stranger know, in a few seconds, what this is and whether it is for them. It does not need to be clever, and it does not need to be complete. It needs to be clear.
A formula that works
what it does + who it is for (or when you would use it)
That is all. Say the thing it does in plain words, then narrow it down so the right person recognises themselves.
Before and after
These are made-up examples, but I see lines like the first of each pair every day.
- Before: "The future of productivity." After: "Plan your week in two minutes."
- Before: "An AI-powered platform for seamless collaboration." After: "Turn a meeting recording into a task list."
- Before: "Reimagining how creators connect." After: "One link for everything you have shipped."
- Before: "The all-in-one solution for modern teams." After: "Invoices for freelancers, sent in one click."
The second version is always more specific, and it is usually shorter. You could not swap those lines between products. That is the test.
The mistakes
- Words that fit any product. Seamless, powerful, all-in-one, next-generation. If a competitor could use the same line, it says nothing.
- Describing the technology. People do not want "AI-powered". They want the thing it lets them do.
- Trying to say everything. Pick the one use that most people come for. The rest belongs in the description.
- Being clever. A pun costs the reader a second, and on a board you do not have a second.
How to test it
- Show the line, and only the line, to someone who has never seen your product.
- Ask them what they think it does.
- If they get it wrong, the line is wrong. Do not explain. Rewrite and try someone else.
It takes five minutes and it is the cheapest improvement you can make to a launch.
On ShipDesk.dev
When you paste your website here, we read a first version of the line from your site. Treat it as a draft. You get 80 characters, and it is worth spending ten minutes on them, because it is what everyone on the board will see next to your name.